Google is tweaking the “profile share” feature in its Google Messages app to allow users to set their own contact names and photos on their own devices for their saved contacts and other users they send text messages to. As 9to5Google reports, there was a change late last year that replaced your own names and photos with each person’s broadcast profiles, but now you can change them back to give friends, colleagues, and family members the names and avatars you think they should have.
The profile sharing feature was announced in late 2023 as Google continued to push the RCS rollout, and works similarly to Contact Posters on the iPhone. In October, Android Authority found references in the Android code to Google working again on allowing users to post profile photos.
Google’s updated support page for profile sharing now includes steps on how to set a local photo of a contact to replace the photo provided by your contact. To change the name or appearance of a contact, tap the person’s name or photo in Google Messages chat, and then tap their photo on the profile page. From there, you can switch between their shared photo or your own for them.
